EA FREE Guide To Strength Hypertrophy For Natural Lifters

Vaughan Burrell - EctoAthletics.
com
Strength and Hypertrophy Training for

Natural Lifters
THE MANTRA:
"Powerlifting Principles in Bodybuilding Parameters for Aesthetic Results".
Connect with me on Instagram --- @ectoathletics and @vaughanburrell 1

Vaughan Burrell - EctoAthletics.com
CONTENTS:
TRAINING................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
UNDERSTANDING HYPERTROPHY .......................................................................................................................... 4
PROGRAMMING ................................................................................................................................................................. 7
PROGRESSION ..................................................................................................................................................................10
PERIODIZATION ..............................................................................................................................................................12
EXERCISE SELECTION ..................................................................................................................................................14
NUTRITION ................................................................................................................................................................................17
DESIGN YOUR OWN PROGRAMME..............................................................................................................................19
FAQs.......................................................................................................................................................................................20
GOALS ........................................................................................................................................................................................22
INSTRUCTIONS:
Print this guide!
Cross, underline and circle anything that sticks out to you, or that you did not know.
The principles discussed in this E-Book are backed by mostly uncontroversial modern
exercise science.
This means this guide will be relevant for years to come.
DISCLAIMER:
You might look at this guide as a ‘what to do’ in order to build muscle.
The truth is that everyone is unique in their muscle building potential and different things
work for different people.
We all know someone who has an incredible physique with zero effort, and others who
work relentlessly for little results.
This is why I would prefer you to treat this guide as an indicator of ‘what not to do’.
Make sure you do your own research, find what works for you and steer clear of the
bodybuilding propaganda that seeks only to sell rather than to service.
This routine is a general education health-related information product and is only intended for healthy adults, ages 18
and over. This routine is solely for information and education purposes and is not medical advice. Please consult a
medical or health professional before you begin any exercise, nutrition, or supplementation program or if you have any
questions about your health. There may be risks and dangers associated with engaging in activities or using products
mentioned in this routine for people with poor health or with pre-existing physical or mental health conditions. Because
these
Connectrisks with
exist, you
me will not use such products
on Instagram or engage in such
--- @ectoathletics andactivities if you are in poor health or have a pre-
@vaughanburrell 2
existing mental or physical health condition. If you choose to participate in these activities, you do so of your own free
will and accord knowingly and voluntarily, assuming all risks associated with such activities.
WARNING - what I’m about to write might be painful to read.
Building muscle is NOT that difficult.
Many beginners are under the impression that building a lean and muscular physique
takes enormous sacrifice, going to war with the weights, destroying your body to force
growth and depriving yourself to lose fat.
IT’S A LIE!
The truth is that building a lean and muscular physique (naturally) is by no means easy.
But it doesn’t need to be the enormous task you might think it is.
All you need is:
1. An optimal training programme;

2. Appropriate macronutrient intake;
3. Patience and consistency.
The only difficult part of the process is the beginning – when you are learning good
habits of training and nutrition.
Luckily, that’s what this document is for – to teach you the right protocols and help you
steer clear of information that will not benefit you as a natural lifter.
If you plan on building a great physique, without performance-enhancing drugs, then

continue reading.
Key Takeaways from this guide:

1) Programming:
Follow a higher frequency, moderate volume programme, based around compound
movements, even if your goals are purely hypertrophy. Avoid ‘bro-splits’.
2) Progression:
Quit programme jumping. Pick one and stick with it. Get stronger. Perform greater
workload over time. Your body will be forced to grow.
3) Nutrition:
Learn the macronutrient profiles of your food. To grow you need to consume more
calories than you burn. If you are a ‘hard-gainer’ chances are you are not eating as
much as you think you are.

TRAINING
UNDERSTANDING HYPERTROPHY
You’ve probably heard the term hypertrophy thrown around in bodybuilding circles – in
magazines, from the big guys at the gym, in supplement stores, on fitness personalities’
social media pages.
And you will have heard any number of things thrown around like:
Muscles respond best in the ‘hypertrophy’ rep ranges

Muscles are not concerned with weight, only tension
Muscles can grow ‘densely’ and you can have ‘bulky’ muscle and ‘lean’ muscle.
It all seems so confusing – can’t we just go to the gym and get stronger?
Hold that thought - you might be on to something –
Unfortunately muscular hypertrophy is a complex topic that no one can claim to

completely understand just yet.
Fortunately we do not need to be research scientists to understand the basic principles

of growing muscles, and how we can apply them to get best results.
That’s the point of this E-Book!
First we will look at the fundamental mechanisms through which muscles grow.
Then I will offer various guidelines on how to structure your training and nutrition to
ensure your muscles grow optimally – as quickly as possible.
So what is ‘Hypertrophy’?
Muscular hypertrophy is the increase in the size of muscle tissue through the increase in
the size of the cells that comprise the muscle.
Modern exercise science points to two types of muscular hypertrophy:
1 – Myofibrillar hypertrophy
2 – Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy
Myofibrillar Hypertrophy:
Myo means muscle and a fibril is a structure of cells.
Each muscle fiber has many myofibrils and these myofibrils are made up of proteins that
can contract.

Myofibrillar hypertrophy is the increase in the size and number of myofibrils within the
muscle fibers. Greater Myofibrillar hypertrophy allows the muscle to contract with
greater force.
We could think of this as the ‘quintessential’ hypertrophy – getting stronger at an

exercise over time causes break-down of the contractile tissue – and the size of the
myofibrils within the muscle fibers grow, meaning the muscle fibers themselves grow.
Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy:
Sarco means ‘flesh’ and plasmic refers to the plasma-like substance in the cells –
including protein, glycogen, water, collagen and other substances.
Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is the increase in the volume of the non-contractile

components of the muscle (the sarcoplasm).
We could think of this as resulting from ‘body-builder’ training – high-rep isolation

movements, coupled with sufficient carbohydrate intake flood the sarcoplasm with
glycogen causing (temporary) sarcoplasmic hypertrophy.
This is also one reason a lifter might experience novel gains when adding a supplement
such as creatine to their diet – loading creatine can increase the volume of the non-
contractile tissue components of the muscle – increasing the size of the sarcoplasm.
Myofibrillar Hypertrophy vs. Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy:
Think about a powerlifter vs. a bodybuilder. Both weigh the same.
Who is stronger? Probably the powerlifter.

Who is bigger? Probably the bodybuilder.
Is this because the powerlifter mostly focuses on myofibrillar hypertrophy and the
bodybuilder mostly on sarcoplasmic hypertrophy?
The only answer to this question that research has provided us with is… maybe.
There simply is not enough evidence to prove either that:

We can cause one strand of hypertrophy without the other, or that
We can’t cause one strand without the other; and
Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy can outstrip myofibrillar hypertrophy if we train in a
specific way; or that
Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy can’t outstrip myofibrillar hypertrophy.
So the bad news is we cannot conclusively, to an exact science, determine the best way
to train for our goals. The good news is we can get pretty close.
Now that we know what hypertrophy is, lets look at how we can induce it.

Muscular hypertrophy is stimulated in three ways:
1. Mechanical Tension
Increasing the tension in the muscle fibers - This means progressive overload.
2. Metabolic Stress
Putting muscle fibers in work close to their metabolic limits through repetition
i.e. taking a set close to muscle failure
3. Muscle Damage
The ‘microtears’ in the muscle fibers themselves caused by break down. Given
adequate nutrition and recovery the fibers adapt to the cause of the damage by
growing back bigger and stronger.
So in our powerlifter vs. bodybuilder example, we can understand:
Our powerlifter will likely generate more mechanical tension than the
bodybuilder from heavy weightlifting; and
Our bodybuilder will likely generate greater metabolic stress by taking the set
closer to or beyond failure, working with lighter weight in higher rep ranges
with shorter rest intervals.
Research shows that of each of the three methods for stimulating hypertrophy,
progressively overloading mechanical tension on the muscle is the most important for
muscle growth.
This is why all of the top natural bodybuilders (and a lot of enhanced athletes too) are
really strong. They understand the importance of mechanical tension on hypertrophy.
So for you – if you want to build as much muscle as genetically possible in the shortest
time frame – you must focus on progressively overloading a movement pattern i.e.
adding weight to the bar and getting stronger.
If you have been training and not seeing the results you desire – this is probably why.
I can say for certain my chest is bigger now that I can bench close to 3 plates, than when
I could only bench 2 plates. My legs are bigger from getting stronger at squats and
lunges. That’s progressive overload.
I can’t say for certain that performing endless sets and reps of lateral raises has had any
impact on my deltoid development. Metabolic stress has simply not benefitted me as
much as mechanical tension overload.
So if we agree we need to get stronger to get bigger, how should we go about this?
That’s what the rest of this Guide is for. Let’s start with following a programme ---

PROGRAMMING
You can work as hard as you like in the gym but you won’t get optimal results without a
solid programme.
Unfortunately, the most commonly used programme across gyms worldwide is the ‘bro
split’. This means Chest day, Back day, Leg day, Shoulder day, Arm day, etc. - training
every muscle group with high volume once per week.
The problem with body-part split routines is they were designed for steroid-users.
The first concept we need to understand is muscle protein synthesis:

This is your body’s process of rebuilding damaged muscle tissue.
For a natural lifter, whenever you perform a given exercise for a given muscle group,
your rate of muscle protein synthesis tends to peak somewhere between 36 – 48 hours
after that workout, then it falls back to base-line.
Example:
If we train chest on Monday, the muscle is in peak recovery for up to 48 hours, so by
Wednesday, (48 hours later) it is ready to be trained again. If the muscle is not trained
after +/- 48 hours it begins to atrophy. So if we only train chest once a week on a
Monday, from Wednesday onwards the muscle is in atrophy and not growing for most
of the week!
So we want to follow a programme that maximizes the frequency of training – how often
we train a muscle – more than one that maximizes volume per session – how much work
we do in a given workout for a particular muscle.
But my favourite fitness personality follows a body-part split?
For a fitness personality, their physique is their business – they need to look their best
at all times, so many turn to steroids to keep them in shape all year round. Steroids
promote muscle protein synthesis for more than 48 hours - up to even an entire week.
This is why split routines work so well for enhanced lifters.
How can I train every muscle so frequently?
Because of the bodybuilding propaganda that preaches ‘destroying’ a muscle with high
volume sessions, most lifters have a warped idea of how much they need to work a
muscle to stimulate a hypertrophic response.
The next concept we need to understand is Minimum Effective Volume:
This is the minimum amount of training that actually causes your muscles to grow.
Our Minimum Effective Volume for a given session is most likely lower than we realize –
and we are probably doing too much volume, at the expense of frequency.

Example – Chest Workout:
Most lifters begin (rightly so) with a compound movement – for example the bench-
press:
They perform their 4-5 working sets and move on to other chest ‘isolation’ exercises,
such as incline press, cable flys, pec-dec and so on.
However, the law of diminishing marginal returns means that the additional volume
following the main compound movement will have a diminished effect on hypertrophy.
Therefore, (especially for a beginner/low intermediate) it is better to train a muscle

with less volume, more frequently, and focus on the compound movements, so our
overall weekly volume is far greater.
We want to train a muscle with less volume, more frequently, to maximize our muscle
protein synthesis, provided we meet and exceed our minimum effective volume.
As long as we do not exceed our Maximum Recoverable Volume for the week – the upper
limit of what we can put our body through before more work actually hinders progress.
Remember the three ways we can stimulate muscular hypertrophy:
(i) Mechanical tension;

(ii) Muscular damage;
(iii) Metabolic stress.
Mechanical tension refers to creating the greatest tension on the muscle by moving a
heavy load through a full range of motion. More weight equals more tension.
Muscle damage is the overall damage on the muscle fibers, which can be caused by
lifting heavy weights and lifting light weights.
Even walking can cause muscular damage in the calves, which is one reason someone
might have muscular lower legs despite never putting them through resistance training.
Example - Chest Workout –
If we perform 5 working sets of bench press once per week, then work the muscle
through isolations, we generate:
- Some mechanical tension (the 5 heavy sets); and

- Some muscular damage and metabolic stress (the heavy sets + the isolations).
But if we perform 3 working sets of bench press, three times per week, we generate:
- More mechanical tension across the week (9 heavy sets per week vs. 5); and
- Similar or greater damage and metabolic stress across the week – but less per
session.

After all, once we have completed our bench press work, how much more stress and
damage can the pectorals accumulate? - A few sets of flys, some incline presses.
It is my opinion that because of the law of diminishing marginal returns we might as well
move on to other muscle groups and come back for chest in two days time, after muscle
protein synthesis has peaked.
Then we can bench heavy again in two days rather than having to wait a week because
we have accumulated so much muscle soreness from isolation work which added little
for us in terms of hypertrophy.
We will generate a greater overall hypertrophic stimulus across the week by training a
muscle more frequently, with moderate volume, utilizing heavy compound movements,
rather than less frequently, with high volume and lighter weight/isolations.
Focus on the 80% rather than the 20%. Compounds first, isolations last, and sparingly.
Recommended Programme:
We know we want to follow a routine that makes the best use of our limited muscle
protein synthesis - ideally training a muscle every 48 hours.
There are several routines that achieve this:
One is a Full Body split, every other day. You train your entire body on Day 1, rest Day 2,
rinse and repeat. In order to train your entire body without being in the gym for hours,
you will need to focus on training compound movements (see Exercise Selection).
Another is an Upper Body/Lower Body split. Train all of your Upper Body muscles on
Day 1 then all of your Lower Body muscles on Day 2, rest only when you need to, and
repeat. Your Upper Body works whilst your Lower Body rests, and vice versa the
following day.
The Full Body split is superior in terms of efficiency, as you will spend less overall time
in the gym. However, the Upper/Lower split might be better if you love the iron and
want to be in the gym more than 3 times per week.
Regardless of which programme you choose, the important factor is we do not want to
waste our time in the gym. So we must train efficiently.
Efficient training for a natural means following a programme that promotes frequency of
training ahead of volume per session - as long as we are performing at least our minimum
effective volume and focusing on progression over time.
Key Takeaways
High frequency > High Volume to maximize muscle protein synthesis
True Beginner = Full Body every other day
Beginner/Intermediate = Upper/Lower or Push/Pull

PROGRESSION
In every gym, you will find people who look exactly the same as they did a month ago, a
year ago, even since they began training.
This is not to insult people coming to the gym for general health, that’s great.
But that’s not me, and it’s probably not you.
If you want to rise above average and build a great physique, naturally, then
progression is key.
As a natural lifter, if you want to get bigger, you must get stronger.
This does not mean you have to become a powerlifter – but it might be a good idea to
start thinking like one.
Remember how muscles grow – through hypertrophy – and we described hypertrophy

as the increase in the size of muscles, through an increase in the size of muscle cells.
Hypertrophy is a direct side effect of improved performance:

After neural adaptations have occurred, hypertrophy will occur.
So how do we cause neural adaptations?
Key terms:
Volume = sets x reps.
Workload = sets x reps x weight.
When you improve your performance at a given movement pattern, over time, the
muscles responsible for moving the load through that movement pattern, will grow.
Exposing your muscles to greater workload, over time, will cause them to grow.
Example – Bench-Press Workout
If you take your bench press from 135lbs/60kgs to 225lbs/100kgs, all other things
being equal (i.e. grip width, tempo, etc.) then the muscles corresponding to the bench
press - your pectorals, deltoids, and triceps - will grow.
This is because taking your bench press from 135lbs to 225lbs will require exposing
your muscles to greater workload over time.
You will have put in the work – all the sets and reps required, over time, to get stronger.
Your muscles will recognise they need to be stronger, because you are putting them
through greater workload, and they will adapt – through growth.
So we want to increase one or all of the (i) sets, (ii) reps, or (iii) weight over time.
(Or reduce rest times, increase tempo, use better form – anything that equals progress).

Common beginner programmes implement linear progression – this outlines the exact
sets and reps for the workout (e.g. 5 x 5) and instructs you to add weight over time to
increase workload.
You can learn how to write your own linear progression programme up at the end of
this E-Book.
The problem with linear progression programmes is users tend to ‘plateau’ – or get
stuck at a particular weight.
If this is a ‘true plateau’ it might be beneficial to move on to a linear periodization

programme.
But you might be better off simply focusing on diet, recovery, and lifestyle rather than
moving on to another programme.
Don’t underestimate the importance of diet on your training.
The old adage “abs are made in the kitchen” rings true for the reverse also:
To gain size you must gain strength. To gain strength, you must eventually gain weight,
which comes from consuming more calories than you burn.
Resist the temptation to switch to a new programme once you hit a wall – switching will
provide new gains in the short term because the programme is novel – but in the long
run, you are just running in circles.
Progression comes from consistency. Be patient – it’s not going to happen overnight!
Key Takeaways
Exposing your muscles to greater workload, over time, will cause them to grow.
Workload = sets x reps x weight - so increase any or all of the variables (sets,
reps or weight) but it is best to focus on adding weight.
A plateau might not be a true plateau – most programmes work, if you make
them work – and if you are willing to gain the weight required to gain muscle.

PERIODIZATION
It is recommended to start with linear progression (sets and reps constant, add weight
over time) then move on to a periodization programme (sets, reps, weight all variable).
It is difficult to know when to move from a progression programme to a periodization

programme.
Everyone is different and physical factors such as height, limb lengths, body-fat
percentage and history of injuries are all important in determining your lifting potential.
As a general rule, if you are a male between 60kg to 90kg/135lbs to 200lbs, you are a
beginner until you can:
Bench Press 1x bodyweight

Squat 1.5x bodyweight
Deadlift 2x bodyweight
Overhead Press 0.75x bodyweight
10 bodyweight pull-ups/chin-ups
Once you have reached these milestones you will probably benefit by moving onto a
periodization programme. If you stick with a beginner programme too long you will
plateau which makes training boring and can drain your motivation to workout.
Periodization varies sets, reps, and weight rather than just weight.
EctoAthletics offers a daily undulating periodization programme that cycles through

different set and rep ranges with special exercises to mitigate plateaus.
Are these strength goals really only beginner-level?
It can be daunting seeing those numbers being called ‘beginner’. Some people will train
their entire lives and never reach these.
But with a good programme, enough food, and recovery, most lifters, even complete
beginners, can achieve these numbers within a reasonably short time frame – 6 months
to 12 months.
You might be thinking - well I don’t see many people in my gym hitting these numbers!
That’s because most gyms are commercial, filled with machines and served by trainers
who know a lot about weight-loss but nothing about strength.
Health professionals are specialising in weight-loss services to curb the obesity

epidemic in the Western World. But few trainers in commercial gyms are well versed in
strength and hypertrophy training.

This is why people in gyms around the world never improve their physiques despite
training for years – they have never learnt the principles you are learning here.
People who have failed to hit these beginner lifts, despite training consistently, have
failed for one of two reasons:
Either:
- They follow poor programming; or
Such as a body-part split - Following low-frequency training programmes is not an

efficient way to get strong as a natural lifter. Low-frequency training programmes are
designed for enhanced lifters, who do not need to get strong to put on muscle mass;
- They follow good programming, poorly:
Diet, Recovery, Stress:
Most people find they ‘plateau’ at a given weight on a given lift.
I thought for months I simply could not bench 100kg for more than a few reps, and
anything heavier felt crippling.
What I have since realised is that at the time I was holding down a full-time job,
studying full time (stress), living in noisy student accommodation (poor sleep) and –
most importantly – not eating enough (nutrition).
I was following good programming – but following it poorly –

I did not have my lifestyle in check to facilitate getting stronger in the gym to improve
my physique.
The truth is all good programmes will work, if you make them work. Unless you have
each of the variables under control – stress, sleep, diet, and caloric surplus – then
switching to a different programme will not yield better results in the long run.
So pick a good programme and stick with it. Once you’ve hit the numbers we’ve
discussed you should move on to a periodization programme.
Key Takeaways
You might still be a beginner even if you have been training for years. Try a
higher frequency programme and reap the benefits.
If you are beyond beginner, switch to periodization – it is more efficient and
progress will come faster than in a linear progression programme.

EXERCISE SELECTION
Most of the muscles in your body have one of two functions – either they ‘Push’ the
weight away from the body, or they ‘Pull’ the weight towards the body.
Pushing Muscles – Quads, Pectorals, Deltoids, Triceps, (Calves)

Pulling Muscles – Hamstrings, Lats, Biceps, Abdominals
Some muscles arguably have a double function, such as the glutes – which ‘Pull’ in hip-
dominant exercises such as the Deadlift and ‘Push’ in quad-dominant exercises such as
the Squat.
So we need movements that Push and movements that Pull.
However, we also need to consider joint angles. The hip and knee joints respectively act
to move weight vertically – we can move the weight vertically away from us (Squat),
and vertically toward us (Deadlift).
The function of the shoulder joint, for our purposes, is two-part:

1) To move weight vertically away (Overhead Press) and toward (Pull-up); and
2) To move weight horizontally away (Chest Press) and toward (Row).
Every strength movement and muscle building exercise you can think of can be
simplified down to one of the following six movement patterns:
Lower Body Pull

Lower Body Push
Upper Body Horizontal Push
Upper Body Horizontal Pull
Upper Body Vertical Push
Upper Body Vertical Pull
Free Weights vs. Machines
Correctly performed free weight movements are the functional expression of the
skeletomuscular system under load. Think – Pushing a load away from the body, and
Pulling a load towards the body.
The exercise is limited and maximised by your own individual (i) anthropometry, (ii)
muscle insertion, (iii) strength, (iv) mobility, and, (v) neuromuscular efficiency.
Free weights allow the load to be moved in the exact way the body is designed to move
it – because the body’s biomechanics are what determines the movement pattern.
Because the skeletomuscular system functions collectively, not separately, it ought to be

trained collectively.

The body does not want to be split into components and have them trained separately –
because the strength obtained from that training will not be used separately – it will be
used collectively.
This all sounds overly scientific – but think about using your legs – can you ever use
your Quadriceps without using your Hamstrings or Glutes? You can on a leg extension
machine.
But other than on this machine, which is specifically designed for the sole purpose of
isolating the Quadriceps from the Hamstrings/Glutes, the Quadriceps will ALWAYS
function collectively with the Hamstrings/Glutes, to balance the forces on both sides of
the knee joint. Think about standing up from a seated position – all muscles are used.
So for the most part, we should train muscles to their function, and to our biomechanics,
because that will allow us to move the greatest load. Moving a greater load means
performing greater workload, greater hypertrophy and greater results for our physique.
On the other hand, machines require the weight to be moved in a pattern determined by
the machine – not by the biomechanics of the user.
As a result machine exercises are, generally, sub-optimal compared to free weights.

There is a place for isolations, but it’s a small one, after compound movements.
Barbells vs. Dumbbells
I promote barbell training over dumbbell training simply for consistency. We know
that: Work = Force x Distance. We also know that the goal is to perform greater
workload over time.
The only problem with dumbbells is that as trainees add weight, form tends to suffer.
‘Half-reps’ means less total distance, which can mean less total workload. So it is not
worth increasing weight to increase force if the distance is compromised.
But if we can keep our form constant, then dumbbell exercises, particularly presses,
might actually be a better exercise for most non-powerlifting related goals.
Dumbbells require more control. They are simply harder to do with the same load –
that’s why most people treat dumbbells as a ‘light’ movement. But ‘going light’ defeats
the purpose of performing the more difficult movement.
So if you wish to train with dumbbells, go ahead – just make sure you are using a
sufficient load, through a sufficient range of motion.
Variety vs. Progress
You might look at a programme that has you performing the same exact movements
over and over and think it lacks variety. This is true! But variety does not cause
adaptation – progress does.

Any programme that advertises ‘no two workouts are the same!’ might be great for fat-
loss, general health and motivating unmotivated people, but it will not be great for
building strength and size – consistency and progression are the building blocks of
growth.
All good beginner programmes will have you adding weight, sets, or reps every session
– so in reality, no two workouts are actually the same!
As a beginner, you will not have to worry about the biological law of accommodation
just yet. As long as you are adding weight every session, or every week, or whatever
your programme suggests - then the stimulus is not strictly constant - it is growing.
You are putting your muscles under greater stress by exposing them to greater
workload (sets x reps x weight) over time.
This does not last forever, eventually the biological law of accommodation will hinder
progress and we must treat exercise selection as a variable, alongside weight, sets, and
reps. That’s where periodization comes in.
Until then, you don’t need to worry about ‘confusing’ your muscles; you need to worry
about getting stronger. More weight on the bar is confusion enough.
Leverages and Anthropometry
Anecdotally - my wingspan is nearly three inches shorter than my height (short arms).
This means I have a genetic advantage in bench pressing and disadvantage in
deadlifting. Unsurprisingly, my bench press is, in relative terms, my strongest lift, and
my deadlift is, in relative terms, my weakest lift.
But the deadlift (or a deadlift variation) remains the most efficient movement pattern to
work the targeted muscles – glutes, hamstrings, back, and lats, so I will not drop it from
my programming simply because I am not good at it. The benefits of performing the
movement outweigh the costs of not performing the movement.
However, this is not always true for everyone. For example, a taller individual will
generally have a harder time getting comfortable in a free squat. For this person, the
benefits of squatting might genuinely NOT outweigh the costs of not squatting, if
squatting with high frequency would lead to injury. So an alternative exercise might be
beneficial in place of the squat in some workouts.
Find what works best for you and focus on progressively overloading that movement.
Key Takeaways
Train movement patterns, not muscles – Compounds > Isolations
Use free weights - barbells & dumbbells - rather than machines
Find a movement pattern that works for you for the target muscle groups.
Focus on progressively overloading that movement.

NUTRITION
Setting macros for lean bulking to maximise muscle gain and minimize fat loss:
It goes without saying that we want to be consuming healthy, nutritious foods.

However, gaining the weight required to build muscle is not about good foods vs. bad
foods or clean bulk vs. dirty bulk – It’s a numbers game – it’s about the macronutrients.
Think of your body as a production line - We need the right amount of raw materials
(calories) in the right ratio of inputs (proteins, carbs, fats) to achieve the desired output.
If you have never gone through a period of tracking macros you will have to do track
calories for a while to learn the ropes – there is no substitute.
Once you have tracked for a while and generally understand the macronutrient profiles
of the foods you consume, you might be able to intuitively eat. Until then, MyFitnessPal
is your best friend.
So how many calories do I need and in what ratio?
To answer this we have to set our realistic expectations. Most research suggests a
muscle gain of around 1kg/2lbs per month, on average, is possible. This is only an
average – true beginners and individuals who are highly receptive to resistance training
will be able to gain at a faster rate. Advanced lifters and those less trainable will gain at
a slower average rate.
We know:
There are 2500 calories in 1 lbs of muscle.
There are 3500 calories in 1 lbs of fat.
So if we want to set our caloric surplus to gain around 2 lbs of muscle every month then
we should eat in a surplus of at least 5000 calories per month, for 2 lbs of muscle gains.
A 5000 calorie monthly surplus = 1250 weekly surplus = 180 daily surplus.
But this represents the minimum – I think it is better to consume in a surplus of at least
180 calories per day because we would rather gain all the muscle possible, with a little
extra fat than have a small surplus and miss out on muscle growth.
So we might want to consume in a surplus of greater than 180 calories per day.
For teenagers particularly I recommend a large surplus – make the most of your years
(generally 15-25) - when you have peak intersections of testosterone and growth
hormone secretion by training optimally and eating enough to facilitate growth.
So we have defined the surplus – but we need to determine our maintenance level of
calories with which to add a surplus onto. There are many free TDEE calculators on the
Internet with varying degrees of accuracy that you should consult.

However, as a general rule for most people with reasonable levels of body fat % who are
regularly active, 15 calories per pound of bodyweight is a good starting point.
So a 160 pound, 15% body-fat, relatively active male will have a maintenance caloric
intake of around 2400 calories. Given our goal of a 6000 monthly caloric surplus, this
person should consume on average 2600 calories each day – a daily surplus of 200.
Be sure to eat highly satiating foods (high protein, high carb foods) to limit binges.
Consistency is the most important factor – play the long game.
So we have calories covered but we also need the right nutrients to drive muscle
growth.
For protein, studies have proven that 1 gram of protein per 1lb of bodyweight is more
than sufficient. Consuming protein beyond this is empty calories because your body will
not use it for repairing muscle tissue; it can only absorb so much.
Closer to 0.8 grams per pound might be sufficient as long as you are in a surplus.
If you are in a fat loss phase you will need to up your protein intake to help prevent
catabolism – and simply to fill you up.
A lot of the modern bodybuilding advice promotes excessively high protein intake
because whey protein is a cornerstone product of the supplement industry. However,
consuming protein beyond your daily requirements is unnecessary. It’s a waste of your
money and a waste of your calories –
We would rather spend excess calories on carbs and fats because:
Carbohydrates contribute to muscle glycogen and stimulate the production of insulin,

which provides greater energy for training and gives your muscles a ‘fuller' look.
Fats support balanced hormonal functions, which is essential for gaining muscle, so we
always need to meet at least our minimum daily fat requirements.
So here’s the blueprint:

Work out your caloric maintenance (use a TDEE chart online).
Choose your caloric surplus – 200 calories might be a good starting point, less for
advanced athletes, more for beginners.
Calculate your protein requirements based on 0.8-1.0g of protein per pound of
bodyweight. Each gram of protein is 4 calories.
Calculate your minimum fat requirements as 0.3-0.4g of fat per pound of
bodyweight. Each gram of fat is 9 calories.
All remaining calories come from carbs – this is the direct source of energy to
fuel performance in the gym. Each gram of carbs is 4 calories.
Recalculate macros with your new bodyweight once weight gain begins to stall.

DESIGN YOUR OWN PROGRAMME
If you’ve never touched a weight before, hire a coach or learn online to become
proficient at the basic movement patterns. Practice makes perfect.
If you’ve followed along this far, you’ll know we need to:
1) Follow a program – preferably a high frequency program where we train each

muscle 2-3 times per week; and
2) Focus on progressive tension overload i.e. getting stronger at exercises; and
3) Our core exercises should comprise of mostly compound movements; and
4) We need to incorporate all four of the key movement patterns in our exercise
regime.
Our six key movement patterns are:
Lower Body Pull

Lower Body Push
Upper Body Horizontal Push
Upper Body Horizontal Pull
Upper Body Vertical Push
Upper Body Vertical Pull
Example: Bench Press three times per week:
In our first session, we will pick a weight and perform 3 sets of 5 reps, then move
on to our other exercises.
Next session for Bench Press we want to perform 3 sets of 5 to 6 reps, meaning
we will go for 6 reps, without exerting ourselves too much.
Once we can perform all 3 sets of 6 reps at that given weight then we can tick that
weight off.
Next session add some more weight, start with 3 sets of 5 reps, add reps until we
have 3 sets of 6 reps and repeat the process.
This is an easy way to progress - We won’t need a complicated excel spreadsheet to

track our lifts – simply remember the weight you used, and whether you got 3 sets of 6
reps. If you did then add the smallest weight increment and start with 3 sets of 5 reps.
If you want to train with weights 3 times per week, train full body every session.
Full Body Workout Regime:
If we are training full body sessions, it is a good idea to split up some of the exercises –
training all six movement patterns in a given session will become too taxing once the
weight starts to get heavy.
It is particularly important to deadlift with less frequency because this is our most
taxing movement – the lift we can use the most weight with.

Example: Train Workout A, rest, Workout B, rest, repeat.
Full Body Workout A Full Body Workout B

Squat Squat
Vertical Press (Overhead Press) Deadlift
Vertical Pull (Pullup) Vertical Press
Horizontal Press (Bench Press) Horizontal Press
Horizontal Pull (Row) (Optional Accessories)
(Optional Accessories) No Pulls - deadlifts are taxing enough
If we want to train more than 3 times per week, or we are becoming more advanced in
our training career we should train on an Upper/Lower regime:
Upper/Lower Workout Regime:
Example: Train Upper Body one day, Lower Body the next, rest as needed.
Upper Body Workout Lower Body Workout

Vertical Press (Overhead Press) Squat
Vertical Pull (Pullup) Deadlift or Deadlift Variation
Horizontal Press (Bench Press) (Optional Accessories)
Horizontal Pull (Row)
(Optional Accessories)
Priority principle:
Whatever you train most frequently and with the most volume will likely grow the most
and the quickest, within your genetic limitations.
FAQs
Progressive overload is key:
This is why I recommend sticking to a movement and performing it up to three times a

week rather than switching between similar exercises.
Don’t constantly switch between exercises to confuse the muscle – just get stronger at
particular movement patterns. Once you are more intermediate, incorporate assistance
exercises which have the effect of bringing up your main lift. (Example lunges help build
your squat, floor presses build your bench press, etc.)
Stubborn muscle groups:
Need special treatment – i.e. trained frequently, trained first in a session and trained
with a real view to progressive overload.
Set a programme up however you like:
If you would rather do 5 x 5 instead of 3 x 5-6 then go ahead. If you would rather
perform seated dumbbell shoulder press than overhead barbell press then go ahead.

If you want to skip an exercise:
Go ahead – I'm not your coach. If you're happy with the musculature of your legs and
hate working them then, by all means, skip lower body exercises!
I personally have terrible leg genetics and amazing shoulder genetics – so if I’m going to
skip any exercise in my workout regime it has to be the shoulder press or bench press.
Just know that skipping an exercise may have detrimental effects on your potential to
get stronger at other exercises – for example getting stronger on the bench press will
eventually require you to have a stronger upper back, core, etc. to support the press. So
skipping exercises completely is a bad idea in the long run.
Also, you should consider the positive hormonal and anabolic effects of performing
heavy exercises – your heaviest lifts will always be Squats and Deadlifts – these are the
ones that will cause the greatest overall stimulus on your body to grow.
Rest days:
Rest only as you need. Maintaining a high frequency of training is theoretically optimal.
We should endeavour to train a muscle as close to every 48 hours as possible.
But training a muscle every 48 hours might not be practically optimal. I train close to 7
days a week - but I am a student, have no major responsibilities and mostly maintain a
caloric surplus. What works for me might not work for you. Train as frequently as your
life allows.
Many will disagree with this and suggest a muscle needs far longer to recover than 48
hours.
It is my opinion that higher frequency/lower volume workouts are more effective for all
trainees except advanced athlete.
High frequency takes some getting used to. Your first week of squatting and bench-
pressing two-three times per week will feel draining.
This is why I advocate starting with low volume – 3-5 working sets, and only
performing one exercise per muscle group (i.e. your only chest/triceps work is the
bench press) and progressively adding volume (sets, reps), weight, and even additional
exercises over time as your body’s ability to recover allows.
What about calves, abs, arms and general accessory work?
If you want big arms you need to train arms– compounds alone will be insufficient.
Just make sure you start from a place of high frequency and add volume in slowly over
time. Start with 3 sets of curls and extensions after your upper body compound work,
then slowly move to 4-5 sets, add another exercise, etc. but don’t compromise
frequency.

GOALS
The final element of a good training programme is setting goals. We want to reach a
certain level of strength relative to bodyweight before we move on to a periodized
programme, which is much more complex.
So set some goals to achieve from your beginner programme:
An example list of goals before moving on to an intermediate programme:

Bench Press 1x bodyweight
Squat 1.5x bodyweight
Deadlift 2x bodyweight
Overhead Press 0.75x bodyweight
10 bodyweight pull-ups/chin-ups
Impact of height differences on trainability:
Remember that individual biomechanics will play a role in how quickly you obtain these
goals.
For example, a shorter individual will generally start with a lighter bodyweight than a
taller individual. So the shorter individual will have less weight to add to the bar to
achieve the bodyweight targets listed.
That’s why the best powerlifters are generally ‘short and stocky’ rather than tall and
slender.
This means if you are a taller individual, the bodyweight targets might be less relevant
to you – and you might benefit from moving on to periodization even earlier.
Final Remarks:
- Make sure to take before photos so you can see where you started.
- Don’t stress about measurements, just worry about getting stronger, slowly.
- Whatever workout split, and exercise selection you choose be sure to stick with it to
reap the rewards – results do not come overnight!
- Eat enough. The size will come. If you are not gaining weight, you are not eating
enough.
- Once you’ve hit the ‘intermediate’ stage – or close – you should move on to a
periodization programme – EctoAthletics’ DUP non-linear programme, Smolov Jr.,
Ogus 7/5/3, AlphaDestiny’s Naturally Enhanced, etc.
Get at me on Instagram @ectoathletics and @vaughanburrell if you have any questions.

I endeavour to answer every genuine question in a timely manner.
Wishing you all the gains you desire!

- Vaughan Burrell – EctoAthletics

EA FREE Guide To Strength Hypertrophy For Natural Lifters

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Vaughan Burrell - EctoAthletics.

Strength and Hypertrophy Training for

Connect with me on Instagram --- @ectoathletics and @vaughanburrell 1

Print this guide!

This means this guide will be relevant for years to come.

WARNING - what I’m about to write might be painful to read.

Building muscle is NOT that difficult.

All you need is:

1. An optimal training programme;

If you plan on building a great physique, without performance-enhancing drugs, then

Key Takeaways from this guide:

Connect with me on Instagram --- @ectoathletics and @vaughanburrell 3

Muscles respond best in the ‘hypertrophy’ rep ranges

Hold that thought - you might be on to something –

Unfortunately muscular hypertrophy is a complex topic that no one can claim to

Fortunately we do not need to be research scientists to understand the basic principles

That’s the point of this E-Book!

Modern exercise science points to two types of muscular hypertrophy:

Myo means muscle and a fibril is a structure of cells.

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We could think of this as the ‘quintessential’ hypertrophy – getting stronger at an

Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is the increase in the volume of the non-contractile

We could think of this as resulting from ‘body-builder’ training – high-rep isolation

Myofibrillar Hypertrophy vs. Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy:

Think about a powerlifter vs. a bodybuilder. Both weigh the same.

Who is stronger? Probably the powerlifter.

There simply is not enough evidence to prove either that:

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Muscular hypertrophy is stimulated in three ways:

So in our powerlifter vs. bodybuilder example, we can understand:

Connect with me on Instagram --- @ectoathletics and @vaughanburrell 6

The first concept we need to understand is muscle protein synthesis:

But my favourite fitness personality follows a body-part split?

How can I train every muscle so frequently?

The next concept we need to understand is Minimum Effective Volume:

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Example – Chest Workout:

Therefore, (especially for a beginner/low intermediate) it is better to train a muscle

Remember the three ways we can stimulate muscular hypertrophy:

(i) Mechanical tension;

Example - Chest Workout –

- Some mechanical tension (the 5 heavy sets); and

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There are several routines that achieve this:

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But that’s not me, and it’s probably not you.

Remember how muscles grow – through hypertrophy – and we described hypertrophy

Hypertrophy is a direct side effect of improved performance:

So how do we cause neural adaptations?

Example – Bench-Press Workout

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If this is a ‘true plateau’ it might be beneficial to move on to a linear periodization

Don’t underestimate the importance of diet on your training.

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It is difficult to know when to move from a progression programme to a periodization

Bench Press 1x bodyweight

EctoAthletics offers a daily undulating periodization programme that cycles through

Are these strength goals really only beginner-level?

Health professionals are specialising in weight-loss services to curb the obesity

Connect with me on Instagram --- @ectoathletics and @vaughanburrell 12

- They follow poor programming; or

Such as a body-part split - Following low-frequency training programmes is not an